Caster



Feb. 4, i930. w. F. HEROLD 1,745,992

CASTER Filed April 2l, 1927 IN VEN TOR.v HALTER' FHLRDLH BY ATTORNEY. l

- "Aperti pflaster A 1,5:condition-s of lise.

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i '.45 load 'f Patented Feb; 4, 11930' WALTERF.fnnnonnoniuin proprietaire-NEW JERsEY,Ass1GNoaR To fTii'iAfssIfox m; ooirixmefmcims, A @oppormi-lotion eomme'leUrp` lamicimiein ormneizp casina c Application Afiles April al',

' .The present invention relates te ,improvis I'nentsiln casters, elijectbeing taprvicie resilient .shock apsorloingancl .connpensating ,caster .of simple anejnenpensjveconstrue- .s tion, enple ientantlreliale'lein'operation Y 'p v s to provide fa' swivel caster .otltl s `cheraster hfavnga -pntle .and which .the resilient vmeans is so arranged as te A i .dissipate thefonce and p irnrily, receive and n of shocks fslhoe'k's' opyi'braitons toI the, p ltle, L0 Alld that tliepintle ,is protected-against 'bendineor breaking strains' even ,under 'the moet 'severe' llinotlier ole/ject is to provide ,such afoasiter which `vvll 'compensate 'for virre.gnlartiesfor fnneyenness in the floorlsotliat 'the fnrn' nre .will loe rmly ,engagelwith' the floorY .at its .sever-al points .of support, i f

1li-t 'ris *also an object to prov'd" "resilient e sleock absorbing lneaneoccnpyng' arelatively f entensieelateral area in a piane' at right .angles-letterarie et the pintle, and inl which thff' forceioi shocks 11p-cn theY easter Wheel, 1s

. wtdelydistrbnted,over snehfarea. i; c, Y

lt '.salso proposedto .so support the castel- ,WheelY with respect o.V the pntleancl'tlie nef, -s'ilient :shook absorb Iig 'meansv ,that n the rio/if'- ina'l tracking position .of .the caster "torce v the r e ypatli etsncliio e.. Agiotherfojbjectis whcli-the- ,shock absoflcingrneans is inept?" c c "respondingparts throughout tieni-1,1

*lignei-@.1 n,

The easteraccQiicl-ne to invention' is .particularly adaptecljcfer' nsle npon yii.irpitnre i .Xcessiye vibration npcn hie easterivvheel)beforetransmissioniof snc/1h' tion.

io'flany impact against theiyylieel ,be elif" rectlytran'srnittel .to-theres'ilient while e `id .pointsosiippetwill 'be out ofthe' Vunes of ,the davvipgs.- j A *A .s LReferringv to the plravvines., the' caster,

lezf'svekral Np. 135,512.,

apparatus Vadapted to be moved' about and,

" filiere ,it is desired to relieve Ythe saine of any s'liec'lfrs clnetornnnna over obstructions yor snddenlelropning, as in rinin'inr;t 'offY curbs or 'the like; ancl Where it is ldesired*to. provide both slieclt .absorbing .and a substantially" noiseiess easter, asyfop 'instance .in '..hospital use if" anellnbocl'inientoi' the invention is shown-in s the' accompanying drawings and this elnlo'ocli-` With Atlne alcove and other ebjectsin view Inen-.t will be vlienenafterincre fnlly described i with yreference thereto'nd the invention `v b1ena11y pointed out'inthe-olaimspf In the clrantings ;-v s i i ,Fia 'l lis a sicle'. elevation of a'caster accord# l Fie- Zis follie presenpeitlbodiment of t'llenygmy v Y i Y i' 'f 7o Tonielevetion thereof.

Fie, 3 is a vertical sectional .View showing I 'the caster pntle enea'aeclin a lsoeletishow-1'ne;

the relation of the resilient ineens when there is no load or shook imposed tilereoiL against an obfetifuction. 4 Y

iii'the deflected position aeivliep running member: of the horn.

' 'Fig-[6 is a perspective Several vcoiciing to the present epilooiclimentA` ofthe' nventioniconrprises a `horn'consisting oli 'an nppet-inemper "l0 havine a transverse top r1'1` of substantially. rectangular .outline 'antl provided with a central 'upwardly pressed epertnrecl portion i12in which thelovver end j Lapeitune 'endjps'ecuifed byeprealipgforhead- .i v'ievy ofthe shock,-r-` l 2113501110111g, `aand compensating igiilleafnsy em- .SimMr reference'haractene"indieate cof! 5 leo ing over within the under recessed side of the portion 12, so that the lower end surface of the pintle is substantially flush with the under surface of the top portion 11. The member 10 is further provided with side ears or flanges 16, 16 bent downwardly from i the top portion 11, a closure flange 17 bent downwardly from the forward edge of said portion, and a closure flangeV 18 bent downwardly from' the rearward edge of said top portion and provided at its lower edge with an inwardly bent lug 19. Recesses 20, 20 are provided in the lower edge of the flange 18 adjacent the flangeslG, 16, and constitute movement limiting means for the mov- -able wheel carryingmember of the horn, presently vto be more lfully referred to. The side fianges 16, 16 extend below the flange `17', their lower edges being inclined upwardly to the rearward flange 18, and areprovided with aligned hinge bearing holes 21, 21 disposed forwardly to the central planeof the pintle axis. The flanged structure `of the upper member constitutes a closed boX formation.

The wheel carrying horn member 22 adapted to be hingedly connected to the upper member 10, and comprises a transverse top-portion 23 and side portions 24, 24 between which the caster wheel 25 is rotatably supported uponanaxle 26, the axis of the caster wheel being rearwardly offset with vrespect to the centralplane of the pintle axis. The rearward edges of the sideportions 24, 24 are provided adjacent the top portion 23 with abutment shoulders 27 for engagement in the recesses 20. Aligned holes 28, 28 are provided in the side portions 24, 24, and a Vheaded hinge-pin 29 is engaged `through these holes and through the holes 21, 21 of the uppermember 10, this pin being preferably removable and provided for this purpose with a nut 30 screwed upon one end. Y

' In the assembled relation the top transverse portion 23 ofthe hinged lower member is engaged at its rearward edge above the lug 19 and in its normal position isY substantially parallel to the upper transverse top portion of the member 10, and the shockabsorbing and compensating means, inthe form of a resilientblock 31 of rubber or the like, isinterposed between said parallel transverse portions and is totally confined against lateral displacement by the box-like structure formed by the fianges of the upper member. The total confinement of the rubber prevents its'expansion from its inert condition, and its elasticity and structure is therefore preserved almost indefinitely.

The caster may be attached in any suitable way to provide a swivel mounting, and in the present disclosure I have shown a socket 32 adapted to be secured in a hole drilled in the furniture leg, and within which socket `the pintle is swivelly engaged and retained by a friction ring 33 loosely disposed in an annular groove in the pintleA and adapted to grip the inner surface of the socket. It

will be understood, of course, that otherV lstrain between the pintle and the wheel is directly upon the rubber cushion which is disposed in lateral relation beneath the lower end of the pintle and provides .a relatively wide area over which the strain `is distributed., The weight of the furniture causes a slightV deflection of the cushion, so that the furniture is resilientlyV supported and any shocks or vibrations generated from within the furniture, asV by a motor carried thereby, or generated in the floor,"are ab'- sorbed. Also any irregularities or unevenness inthe floor Vare 'compensated for so that the furniture will be firmly engaged with the floor at its several pointsv of support. The

Vshoulders 27 vand recesses 20 provide a solid support after'a predetermined deflection, so ,A

as the compensating means'is carried entirely within the horn,`thereVv is no Vimpairment of the'free swivelling' action of the caster.v Itis a further advantage that strain of shocks imposed uponfthe caster wheel are dissipated within' the compensating cushion so that'the pintle is relieved'ofthe strainu'of such shocks, and any possibility of bending or breaking is prevented, and particularly v the unsupported portion of the 1 pintle between the socket and the horn is relieved of excessive strain,y During movement ofthe furniture the caster tracks as shown in Figs, 3 and 4 with the pivotal axis ofthe lowermember l-of the horn forwardly of the central axis of the pintle and with the wheel axis rearwardly thereof, so that in encountering an obstruction the deflection is directly opposed to the compensating cushion, andover a relatively wide area symmetrically disposed about the axis of the pintle. The Vshock caused by the resistanceof su'ch obstruction is substantially absorbed within the cushion, vand the rigidA "parts ofthe caster'are relieved of strain, the

ioo

of use the upper portion of-the horn may be substantially wider in "proportion 'than the l' 'embodiment illustrated and -that the cushion member may be proportioned to suit diierent, conditions, and inV certain vcases' may be relatively soft, whiley in others it may be only slightly resilient. Y Alslo,` the cushion may be made porous, orfbe provided with openings or grooves to obtain desiredV degree of elasticity. A

I haveV illustrated and described a preerred and satisfactory Vembodiment of the' invention but it will be obvious that changes f may be made therein `within the spirit and f scope thereof, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to' secure by Letters Patent is Y l. lIn a caster, a wheel carrying horn vcomprising a top portion, a wheel carrying portion pivo-tally connected to said top portionupon a horizontal axis, and horizontally block member interposed between said top portion and said wheelf-carryingportion and disposed directly beneath said pintle.v

6. In a caster, a wheel carrying horn com` prising a top portion, awheel carrying portion pivotally connected tosai'd top portion along a horizontal axis -and including a 'transverse upper portion Vdisposed inspaced disposed resilient means interposed betweenY f KY*said top portion and'said wheel carrying'V portion. Y 1 Y A `2..In a caster, awheel carrying horn comprising atop portion, a Wheel carrying portion pivotally connected to `said top portion along va horizontalaxis, andV including a posed in the space between said top and Wheel y carrying portions.

transverse upper portion disposed in spaced* and substantially parallel relation to said top portion, and a resilient block member vinter- 3. In a caster, a wheel carrying horn, swivel mounting means for said horn, said horn comprising a top portion adaptedto have swivel movement about its vertical aa'xis, and awlieel' carrying portion pivotally n connected to said top portion along a. horizontal axis disposed at one side ofthever-v tical swivelaxisJ a wheel lcarried by said Wheel carrying portion having itslaxis disposed at the other side of saidswivel axis, and resilient means interposedy between said-top"` portion and said wheel carrying portion.

4. In a caster, a wheel carrying horn, v

swivel mounting means for' said horn, said horn comprising 'a top portion' adapted toV have swivel movement about itsvertical v, y axis, and awheel carrying portion y-pivotally l connected to lsaid to-pfportion 'along a horizontal aXis disposed at one` side of the Vertical swivel axis,- a wheel carried'vby saidl xwheel carrying portion'having its axis dis'- posed at the other side of said swivel axis, and

a vhorizontal resilient lb'lock member inter- I posed between said topV portion and said wheel carrying portion. v

15. Ina caster, a wheel-carrying horn, y Vertical pintle, saidhorn comprising a top n portion rigidly secured to said pintle, and a wheel' carrying portion'pivotally. connected to 'said top portion alongv ahorizontal axis disposed lat one side lof the vertical swivel `i axis, and a horizontally disposedlresilient ,80 n WALTER AierHpERoLD.. .f

ins i 

